Keeping up with kids these days is practically a full time job.  Juggling their hectic schedules requires military like planning to ensure each one is where he/she is supposed to be at any given time.  It is a house of cards, and can all come crashing down if there is even the remotest of chances of a playdate clashing with swim squad training, or even all of them having PE on the same day.  It can be exhausting. By the end of the week I am frazzled, more because I have a constant nagging feeling, second guessing if I have covered all bases – “Did I send in a PE kit with the right child?” “Did DS1 say he needed lunch today or is he eating in the refectory?” “Is today Roman or Greek dress up day?”

As the munchkins get older, managing, overseeing and monitoring their schedules doesn’t stop with school and after school activities.  As 21^st century kids, technology is as commonplace in their lives as a Sony Walkman was in mine.  Not being particularly interested in the latest gadgets or apps, I try to stick with the minimum whilst trying to have a vague understanding of what types of social media the kids might be using.  Alas for my bambinos, on the other hand, I don’t think a day goes by without someone mentioning ‘Apple watch’, ‘Macbook Air’, ‘Ipad Mini’ – all usually preceded by ‘I want..’, ‘Can I have??’, ‘I am going to save up for…’  To me, it would seem these devices each perform similar functions (especially when it comes to what 8 – 10 year olds want to use them for…..I doubt perfecting their Excel spreadsheet skills is high on their list of reasons for wanting to own the trendy gadegets!).   It won’t come as a surprise then that as someone who isn’t too bothered about keeping up with the IT Jones’s, I am a reluctant to venture into the world of social media.  I set up my Facebook account because that was the medium of communication used by class reps one year.  My Facebook activity levels are confined to ‘likes’ and the odd ‘share’.   I set up a Twitter account because somehow my kids’ former school thought that was an appropriate means of sharing information on what the kids got up to during the day.  My tweeting activity levels remain at ‘zilch’ to this day.  Needless to say, I have forgotten the sign in details.

Given I permitted my 3 to have Instagram, I now feel compelled to monitor (read ‘stalk’) their activity.  As I regularly forget to check each of their devices, I decided the best way forward was to set up my own account and ‘follow’ them.  I had hoped to do this secretly….but it seems not even my basic level of Facebook expertise could help me navigate this App.  Cue a quick tutorial from DD who was more than happy to be the lecturing side of the fence for once! 

Recently there have been pleas for Facebook and email accounts.  3 Instagram accounts, 3 Facebook accounts and 3 email accounts…..and goodness knows what other accounts they will want to have in the future…Right now, my choices are looking like: hire a driver and helper to ferry them to and from school/activities; or hire a social media manager!